No. 4 with a bullet: QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson hoping to stick with Vikings

Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson turned some heads in the Vikings' preseason opener,
but he still faces an uphill battle to make the roster. (Pioneer Press: Sherri LaRose-Chiglo)

MANKATO, Minn. -- About two dozen fans chant his initials outside of the Vikings' fields after a recent team workout.

M.B.T.! M.B.T.! M.B.T.!

McLeod Bethel-Thompson waves to the crowd and lightly jogs into team meeting rooms, where wide receivers routinely remind him to stop throwing the ball so hard, he says. Quarterbacks coach Craig Johnson calls Bethel-Thompson a "flamethrower," which makes for the perfect training camp story. Who doesn't love a fourth-string quarterback who delivers bullets?

But a look under the hood -- the hood of a red 1988 Oldsmobile "88" with chipped mirrors and a broken front seat -- reveals a nomadic football dreamer who desperately wants to find a home.

Bethel-Thompson was so embarrassed by his car while in camp with the San Francisco 49ers last year that he parked it behind a tree, down the block from where the players normally park inside the facility, and took a shuttle to practice. While other players drove Escalades, Bethel-Thompson drove his high school car.

He left Sacramento State in December 2010 with no money, no draft prospects, no scouts calling. His father offered to support him for six months if he lived at home in San Francisco while pursuing football.

In the ensuing 12 months, he wore helmets for four different teams, making life work on $296 a week while a backup for the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League.

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He's still trying to understand his football journey, and why doors keep opening.

"There are so many reasons I shouldn't be here and very few reasons I should," said Bethel-Thompson, 24, whose full name is McLeod John Baltazar Bethel-Thompson. "I never thought a career would even begin. Hopefully, it continues."

He's here, in part, because his arm's never betrayed him.

The arm helped lead at least four NFL teams to offer him a reserve/futures contract in January after a series of workouts.

The arm led him to the 49ers' preseason roster, a short stint with the United Football League and two weeks on the Miami Dolphins' practice squad last season.

The arm found him a spot on the SaberCats in February 2011 despite starting one game as a senior at Sacramento State after tearing all three ligaments in his ankle.

He was so off the map coming out of school, he couldn't manage a single NFL workout. He wasn't known for his brief stint at UCLA, where the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Bethel-Thompson had 293 passing yards and five interceptions as a redshirt freshman before transferring.

But he could always throw at least 70 yards on a rope. And he has some touch, too, as displayed the last three weeks in Vikings camp. His intriguing skill set prompted the Vikings to offer him a fair shot to compete, which is all he needed to hear. He picked Minnesota over Miami, Dallas and San Francisco.

"He's doing everything he can to stay on this team," Johnson said.

What he does to complement his strong arm could determine his NFL future. With sustained accuracy and command of the huddle, Bethel-Thompson could make a case for a job elsewhere should the Vikings squeeze him out of the three-quarterback rotation during next month's final cuts.

His 3-of-7 performance for 49 yards and an interception Friday night against San Francisco included a 28-yard dart to Kerry Taylor from the pocket and a third-and-long conversion to Allen Reisner for 14 yards off a bootleg.

With Joe Webb entrenched as the primary backup and third-stringer Sage Rosenfels signing a two-year deal in March with sizable guaranteed money attached, earning a roster spot with the Vikings will be a steep climb for Bethel-Thompson.

The Vikings' practice squad is a logical stop, assuming he's cut and clears waivers. The practice squad minimum is around $5,700 a week, an income Bethel-Thompson said he would certainly welcome for 17 weeks.

Clearly he wants more. For now, being on an NFL practice field is enough.

"I could be here all day and all night and it's not work," Bethel-Thompson said. "I've been to the bottom. I've played for nothing. You wouldn't have to pay me to do this."

And he's not going away quietly. Despite the interception Friday, Bethel-Thompson has protected the ball in practices and asks all the right questions in meetings, Johnson said.

He could get a longer look later in the preseason as the Vikings faze out their starters closer to the Sept. 9 opener.

The car's gone now, donated to a local charity after 140,000 miles. He'll buy another one soon, but he doesn't want to go anywhere yet.